1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to skylights, and more particularly to a glass skylight having standing seam longitudinal elements which permit a leakproof installation in a sloping shingle roof without the use of a curb.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of glass for skylights is very popular due to the excellent light transmission characteristics and clarity of glass. However, problems have always existed in mounting glass panes in roof structures due to the difficulty in sealing against water leakage. The result is that leakproof mounting structures have been quite expensive and complex. The most common method of mounting glass type skylights in roofs is to construct a curb which extends above the plane of a roof and to attach the skylight assembly to the top of the curb. This procedure places the seam or interface between the skylight structure and the roof well above the plane of the roof such that water draining down the roof does not come in contact with the seam. Although such curb structures are generally suitable, the additional construction for the curb adds greatly to the cost of a skylight installation and, for many buildings, such as residential structures, curb mountings are unsightly.
Examples of prior art glass skylight structures include U.S. Pat. No. 4,468,899 to Miller which shows a glass skylight having an extruded aluminum frame forming a curb in which the glass portions are supported within the extruded aluminum curb. A low profile skylight is taught in the Jankowski U.S. Pat. No. 4,193,237. In this structure, asphalt shingles are curled upward and attached to a frame along the edges of the curb. Another low profile skylight is taught by Helma, U.S. Pat. No. 3,440,779, which discloses an extruded curb as does Gildehouse in U.S. Pat. No. 2,425,060.
There is a need for a glass pane skylight which can be mounted with the glass essentially in the plane of a roof without the use of a curb and which will be essentially leakproof.